


Consorting with the Enemy

by scatteredlogic



Category: Harry Potter - Rowling
Genre: Angst, Ficlet, Friendship, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2005-06-10
Updated: 2005-06-10
Packaged: 2017-10-12 10:46:41
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 606
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/124068
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/scatteredlogic/pseuds/scatteredlogic
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>"You know the preferential treatment will continue. This is just the beginning."</p>
            </blockquote>





	Consorting with the Enemy

Minerva knocked firmly on the door to Snape's private quarters and waited with mingled impatience and dread. Finally, it was wrenched open and Severus stood in the doorway, glowering at her.

"Here to gloat?" he snapped. "Did you think you'd come down here to flaunt your House Cup win?"

Minerva rolled her eyes. "You know better than that."

She didn't wait for an invitation, she simply pushed past him and entered his rooms. With the ease of long familiarity, she walked straight to his drinks cabinet and poured out two glasses of whiskey. They both needed a drink after the events of the night.

As the amber liquid filled the glasses, she mentally girded her loins and counted _one, two, three—_

Right on schedule, Severus exploded behind her.

"The Headmaster expects me to convince those children that prejudice against Muggle-borns and half-bloods is unacceptable and then he does something like this?" he snarled. "He demoralised Slytherin House tonight, Minerva. He took away the House Cup and handed it to Harry Potter for no other reason than that he could."

Minerva sighed. There was no defending this. As soon as the Leaving Feast had ended, she'd vehemently protested to Albus, but to no avail. Albus was too determined to put right all those years of neglect. His guilt over leaving Harry with the Dursleys' ran far too deep and had blinded him to the possible repercussions.

She turned back to Severus and handed him a glass of liquor. "I'm not going to try to justify his actions. It was unfair. But surely you know why Albus did this."

"What I _know_ , Minerva, is that it's James Potter all over again! No matter how many rules that boy breaks, no matter how recklessly he acts, he'll be rewarded at my expense. Some things never change."

Minerva winced inwardly at the bitter tone that filled Severus' voice. She'd been afraid of this.

"I hope Albus thought it was worth it," Severus continued. "He made an enemy tonight of every child in Slytherin."

Minerva nodded wearily. It was only to be expected.

She sat in one of the pair of chairs in front of the fire and sipped her drink. Severus began to pace a tight path in front of her, the worn nap of the rug revealing just how often this occurred.

"You didn't help, you know." His words were abruptly thrown out like a gauntlet. "You broke the rules for the boy, too. His own broom, Minerva? Would you care to explain where that Nimbus Two Thousand came from, as if I can't guess?"

Shame stabbed at her and she stared down in to the whiskey. "I apologise," she finally said, firmly. "That was wrong of me to do. I let my desire to win overcome everything else. Which is, as you've pointed out to me on more than one occasion, "what Gryffindors do". That's why Gryffindors need Slytherins as friends. You balance us out, rein us in."

He stopped dead in his tracks and then shook his head in defeat. He wearily sank into the chair next to her and took a long drink of whiskey.

"What do we do then?" he asked. "You know the preferential treatment will continue. This is just the beginning."

Minerva reached out and placed her hand on his arm. "We'll work together, Severus, as best we can. That's all that any of us can do."

"Will it be enough?" He didn't look at her; he simply cradled the whiskey glass in his palms and stared into the fire.

"I don't know," was all the reply she could give him.

 

**The End**

**Author's Note:**

> Written for Amberdiceless, who requested "SS/MM - friendship/romance, humor, house rivalry and/or insight into their relationship, no porn"


End file.
